The desirability of a motorist being able to conveniently change the crankcase oil in his vehicle has increased dramatically in recent times due to inflation and sometimes unreliable service offered by filling stations. High quality motor oil can be purchased by the motorist in drug or department stores at great savings compared to the inflated prices in most filling stations.
The prior art contains some proposals for devices or attachments to enable the automobile owner to change oil without visiting a filling station, but up to the present time such devices have not been widely accepted by the public. One example of the patented prior art for this purpose is U.S. Pat. No. 3,677,369.
The reason for the lack of public acceptance of this concept lies in excessive cost of prior art devices, lack of reliability and safety of operation, and excessive complexity. The objective of this invention is to provide a device of the above character which is completely practical and reliable in operation, economical to install on the automobile without altering the automobile structure in any way, and completely safe and foolproof in operation. With these features present in the device, it is contemplaed that public acceptance of the idea will be greatly enhanced, resulting in a substantial saving of money to motorists over a period of time, plus the peace of mind resulting from the knowledge that the motor oil has been properly changed and oil of the desired quality has been furnished.
The invention features a number of distinct improvements over the prior art including the ability of the device to be properly mounted on all known car makes and models. The operating lever mounting bracket is universal in that it may be mounted right or left hand and horizontally or vertically beneath the hood of the car. The placement of the control lever beneath the hood renders it relatively non-accessible to children or others who might be tempted to tamper with the apparatus. Where the hood is lockable in the closed position, the security of the invention is further increased. A simple locking arrangement for the manual lever assures that the drain valve plug will be releasably secured in the closed or oil-retaining position. The spherical valve element has very efficient opposing teflon seals to preclude leakage of crankcase oil. Means are provided on both the valve casing and the control lever mounting bracket to securely anchor the end terminals of the push-pull control wire flexible sheath.
Other features and advantages of the invention will become apparent during the course of the following description.